How To Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed By Decluttering

Decluttering is a fabulous thing. It gets rid of excess stuff that we simply don’t need. It saves us money through realising what we already have so we don’t need to purchase more. While also having the potential to make us money through selling the excess. It also helps simplify your life through cutting down on clutter, saving us time on cleaning, organising and searching. But many people find themselves completely overwhelmed by decluttering.

HOW TO AVOID FEELING OVERWHELMED BY DECLUTTERING

Often this comes down to having absolutely no idea where to start. When you have a whole house that needs a declutter, knowing which room to begin with, or which part of that particular room can be really confusing.

It’s because of this that so many people that feel overwhelmed by decluttering simply stop. Or they get part way through and lose their momentum. After all, it can also be pretty darn exhausting!

Here are some great ways to help you avoid feeling overwhelmed by decluttering:

Set Goals

Work out what you what to achieve with your declutter. Do you perhaps have an area of your home that is overflowing with stuff? Is your tupperware cupboard contents falling on your feet every time you open the door? Are you going for a minimalist look home? Once you know what your goals are, it gives you a better idea on what you want to achieve, whether it be a full home declutter, or a small space declutter and exactly how much you want to get rid of.

Get Some Help

There is absolutely no reason why you should be going at the declutter alone. If you live with others, put them to work as well. A joint declutter can save so much time and take the pressure of your shoulders alone. And besides, chances are you weren’t the only one responsible for accumulating all that stuff.

Pace Yourself

There is no reason you need to do it all in one day or week or even one month. Breaking it down to smaller decluttering tasks can really make a difference. Maybe set aside a day a week when you commit to your declutter plans, even if it’s for an hour. It all adds up in the long run and if that helps you feel less overwhelmed, it’s okay that it might take longer. So long as you’re still at it and not giving up due to it feeling like too much, then you are making great progress.

Join a Challenge

Having set tasks and instructions can take so much pressure out of the decluttering process and certainly help you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by decluttering. There are so many challenges you can join online, but of course I will give a shameless plug and recommend my own current challenge – Simplify My Life, which has a monthly declutter task featuring a different area of the home, complete with tips to help you declutter that space and a checklist to make it nice and easy.

Take a Break

And if still after trying these things to help you with your declutter you still feel overwhelmed, just take a break. Not a forever break. A couple of weeks should be time to recharge your batteries and help you get back on track. Sometimes we have too much else going on in our lives and we need to take a step back and let something slide for a little while. That’s okay. We all deserve a break!

Hopefully with these decluttering tips, you are one step closer to achieving your goals, minus the feeling over it being all too much. And don’t forget once you declutter that stuff, you need to get rid of it or it sort of defeats the purpose, so sell it, donate it, throw it in the bin. Whatever happens to suit you and the stuff you are decluttering. Trust me, it feels good to rid yourself of all the unnecessary stuff.

These are great tips! We are going through this process right now, as we are getting ready to move into a new house. I really don’t want to take a ton of stuff we don’t need with us.Jen recently posted…Photo Friday – Mammoth Spring Flowers

I hate clutter, but I am not good at de-cluttering. One of my issues at the moment (there is always an excuse) is having to do it in short bursts when my kids are not around, and dispose of the evidence (they are 8 and 9, and end up making more clutter as they re-discover the existing clutter).Gael – The Vinyl Edition recently posted…3 Food ‘Things’ We Didn’t Have in the 70s

Great tips Holly! Definitely agree that taking a break can be hugely beneficial. We started de cluttering in the new year and bit by bit, room by room we are getting things under control. Gosh it feels so good. The more we do the more ruthless we get! Thanks for the tips and for linking up to the ultimate rabbit hole! Xx

It’s such a rewarding feeling once you tackle an area. Sounds like we are on a similar path this year. I have been way more ruthless than ever before this time around too. Time to stop hoarding just for the sake of it 🙂

I’ve been procrastinating on decluttering my wardrobe I think it is time I ripped the bandaid off and just did it. Tomorrow. :/
Dropping ‘down the rabbit hole’Malinda @mybrownpaperpackages recently posted…7 Best Homemade Craft Recipes

Mine took sooooo long. It was in really bad shape though and I did a complete makeover as well as a declutter so that added time. But it felt and still does feel great to have done it. I love how organised mine is now. Sooo… did you do it yet? 😉

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[…] Too much stuff looks messy but it can also make you feel icky. On the flipside, a clear space can help create a clear mind by eliminating unnecessary clutter from your home. It can also be very cleansing to declutter your life. […]

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